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You are here: > Animal Replicas |
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Why Replicas?
Naturalists often come across bone fragments, egg shells, or even entire skeletons in the field, and it is not unusual to find these interesting artifacts on a naturalist’s shelf or in an education center or classroom. However, for those who want to build a focused teaching collection, we feel that replicas offer a better solution than natural bone products due to their strength, permanence, and lack of special storage requirements. Replicas also allow students to gain firsthand knowledge of protected species they would not otherwise have access to. Most importantly, however, use of replicas reduces the demand for real skeletons, furs, talons, and other animal body parts that often come from killing animals in hunting, trapping or farming operations. Some species are also trapped under the guise of questionable and archaic varmint control programs. In the case of items such as badger, coyote and rattlesnake skins, none are farm raised - all come from the killing of these valuable predators in their native habitats. With the exeption of roadkills or deceased zoo animals used for study purposes, we feel that the killing and subsequent sale of animals for their skins or skeletons is unwarranted and in many cases environmentally destructive. We do not sell other real animal skins, skulls, or skeletons for similar reasons. From the company's beginning, Acorn Naturalists has encouraged and supported the development of museum quality replicas, crafted one at a time by skilled artisans residing in southern California. We are confident that the replicas we offer will fully serve your educational needs. We appreciate your continued support, which allows us to develop and distribute resources that are both educationally and environmentally sound.
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References, Activities and Tools
Includes skull identification manuals, classroom activity resources, and a durable caliper for making precise measurements of skulls and other sperical objects.
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Alphabetical Listing of Replicas
This section contains all of the replicas we carry in our own warehouse. In addition to these, Acorn Naturalists can can also provide replicas for hundreds of other species. Please click here for a complete listing of over 600 skull, claw, talon and other museum quality replicas that we can provide.
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Fish Skull Replicas
Included in this section are museum quality fish skull and jaw replicas. In addition to the replicas listed here, we also offer many other types of replicas. Please click here for a complete listing of over 600 skulls and other replicas that we can easily provide you with. Each is individually cast and detailed local artisans - perfect for classroom teaching or museum quality displays.
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Fish Printing Supplies and Fish Replicas
Fish printing art or Gyotaku combines science (fish diversity, anatomy, ecology), art (create colorful, framed displays), math (measure and count fins, proportional size, count fin rays), reading (use with fish stories) and creative writing (write fact or fiction about the fish). Everyone can have fun while creating beautiful, unique artistic prints. We now offer over 20 different species of flexible vinyl fish that last for years.
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Amphibian Skull Replicas
In this section you will find museum quality amphibian skull replicas. In addition to the replicas listed here, we also offer many other types of replicas. Please click here for a complete listing of over 600 skulls and other replicas that we can easily provide you with. Each is individually cast and detailed local artisans - perfect for classroom teaching or museum quality displays.
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Reptile Skull Replicas
In this section you will find museum quality reptile skull replicas. In addition to the replicas listed here, we also offer many other types of replicas. Please click here for a complete listing of over 600 skulls and other replicas that we can easily provide you with. Each is individually cast and detailed local artisans - perfect for classroom teaching or museum quality displays.
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Bird Skull Replicas
Our bird replica section includes skull replicas of the pileated woodpecker, crow, raven, flamingo, roseate spoonbill, pelican, sandhill crane, great blue heron, wild turkey, horned puffin, helmeted hornbill, toucan, peregrine falcon, red-tailed hawk, California condor, harpy eagle, burrowing owl, barred owl, barn owl, great horned owl, bald eagle, golden eagle, and king vulture. For most of these skulls we also offer museum quality egg replicas. A complete alphabetical listing of eggs can be found in the bird egg replica section. In addition to the replicas listed here, we also offer many other types of replicas. Please click here for a complete listing of over 600 skulls and other replicas that we can easily provide you with. Each is individually cast and detailed local artisans - perfect for classroom teaching or museum quality displays.
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Bird Talon Replicas
These realistic bird talon replicas show how raptors are able to grasp their prey securely using their talon “hooks.” These life-size replicas are cast using durable polymer resins. Includes bald eagle talon replica, golden eagle talon replica, harpy eagle talon replica, peregrine falcon talon replica, red-tailed hawk talon replica, great horned owl talon replica and raven talon replica. For most of these talons we also offer museum quality skull and egg replicas. In addition to the replicas listed here, we also offer many other types of replicas. Please click here for a complete listing of over 600 skulls and other replicas that we can easily provide you with.
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Bird Egg Replicas, References, Magnets
Each of these life-size replicas is individually handcrafted by local artisans in Southern California to resemble eggs as they would be found in nature. Since they are hand-created one at a time, there is some variation, just as occurs in eggs from different regions. These exquisite replicas are used in museum displays and are also perfect for the classroom, nature center, or home. All eggs come with a display stand. For additional data on the bird egg replicas we offer simply click here. Also in this section are activity and reference books as well as bird egg magnets.
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Owl Pellet Replicas
Perfect Pellet owl pellet replicas contain a virtually complete replicas of three common owl prey - voles, moles and birds. These sterile owl pellet replicas are easier to dissect than organic (real) pellets, offering the same great lab experienced without the problem of partial or multiple animal species found in some wild pellets. Each student gets a complete disarticulated skeleton that can then be used with standard owl pellet charts or diagrams. For a more diverse classroom experience, order several of each of the three species.
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Mammal Skull Replicas
In this section you will find the following mammal skull replicas: duck-billed platypus, red kangaroo, wombat, aardvark, opossum, gray squirrel, prairie dog, woodchuck, American porcupine, little brown bat, vampire bat, fruit bat, jack rabbit, beaver, river otter, badger, ringtail, black-footed ferret, rock hyrax, wolverine, striped skunk, manatee, sea otter, harbor seal, California sea lion, walrus, whitetail deer, American bison, warthog, pronghorn antelope, elk, raccoon, bobcat, cougar, smilodon, American lion, jaguar, coyote, gray wolf, red wolf, dire wolf, gray fox, black bear, grizzly bear, tree shrew, slow loris, owl monkey, rhesus monkey, chimpanzee, false killer whale and bottlenose dolphin. In addition to the replicas listed here, we also offer many other types of replicas. Please click here for a complete listing of over 600 skulls and other replicas that we can easily provide you with.
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Animal Claw Replicas
Realistic life-size animal claw replicas, perfect for demonstrating specialized animal adaptations. Made from durable, non-breakable polymer resins. Our selection includes the following claws: badger, black bear, grizzly bear, polar bear, beaver, bobcat, cheetah, coyote, red fox, jaguar, African leopard, lynx, mountain lion, porcupine, raccoon, snapping turtle and wolf. For most of these claws we also offer museum quality skull replicas. In addition to the replicas listed here, we also offer many other types of replicas. Please click here for a complete listing of over 600 skulls and other replicas that we can easily provide you with. Each is individually cast and detailed local artisans - perfect for classroom teaching or museum quality displays.
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Tooth Replicas, Activities and References
Replicas found in this section include tooth replicas of megalodon shark, great white shark, sperm whale, polar bear, alligator, coyote, beaver, African lion, hippotomus, mountain gorilla, baboon, human and grizzly bear. In addition to the replicas listed here, we also offer many other types of replicas. Please click here for a complete listing of over 600 skulls and other replicas that we can easily provide you with. Each is individually cast and detailed local artisans - perfect for classroom teaching or museum quality displays.
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Mammal Track Casts (mounted on plaques)
These life-size, three-dimensional mammal track casts are mounted on plaques and cast to give give the tracks a realistic appearance. Each is individually cast and detailed local artisans - perfect for classroom teaching or museum quality displays.
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Mammal Track Panels
Acorn Naturalists offers two educational mammal track panels, including a large 36" square panel that provides a perfect tracking teaching tool for classrooms and nature centers.
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Animal Track Replicas (flexible vinyl positives).
These life-size animal track replicas are individually cast using flexible vinyl. Use for sand tracking games (glue replicas to blocks of wood using vinyl glue and stamp tracks into sand boxes) or bring into the field to compare tracks or make prints. These accurate casts from museum specimens show every skin fold, claw or scale. These are wonderful hands-on tools for teaching anatomy, adaptations, behavior, ecology or tracking skills. Use soapy cleansers to clean occasionally. Turtle and mammal replicas are offered in sets featuring one back and one front foot unless noted as ea, in which case only one foot is included (all birds, some mammals).
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Animal Track Replicas (hard resin positives).
This collection of 25 hard resin, life-size track replicas are rock hard, making them perfect for making imprints in sand tracking boxes or for making animal tracks in wet cement or the PerfectCast® replica compound that we offer. By comparison, flexible track replicas we also offer have the "feel" of a real paw and often show more detail (skin folds, pads) than the hard resin replicas. Each of these two track replica types have their own unique uses as hands-on teaching tools. Note: all of the hard track replicas are single replicas; on the mammals mostly hind feet unless otherwise noted.
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Track Molds (flexible vinyl negatives).
Made from flexible vinyl polymers, these life-size animal track molds can be filled with plaster, clay or PerfectCast, also available from Acorn Naturalists. Use the positive track casts you make as instructional aids, pressing them into moist sand or dirt to create a story (such as coyote tracks chasing rabbit tracks), for ink prints, or to compare with field specimens. Everyone can have fun making tracks—students or campers can take them home or make displays. Clean with occasionally with soapy cleansers. Each mold also features the name of the track and hind (H) or front (F) paw reversed out so that it appears correctly on the positive. Each of the species listed below includes a hind and a front track mold (set), unless designated as ea (birds, some mammals). For additional information on using these replicas, simply click here.
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Track Casting Kits and Casting Compounds
Casting tracks in the field can be great fun, all the while improving observational skills. Acorn Naturalists offers an ideal casting compound (Perfect Cast)in convenient easy to use and store plastic tubs for field and classroom use. In this section you will also find Mold-it replica kits, professional mold-making and casting kits.
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Scat Replicas (flexible vinyl positives).
Recently we have replaced all of our scat replicas with new ones cast directly from field-collected scat. Perfect for who was here discussions, or for studying food preferences or predator/prey relationships. This collection of scat replicas shows incredible detail. Cast from tough, natural-looking, flexible vinyl polymers that will last for years. Clean occasionally with soapy cleansers.
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Scat Displays and Reference Materials
Scat samples provide valuable clues both to the presence of an animal as well as diet preferences. These unique collections of real scat feature a mix of both invertebrate and vertebrate scats. Each specimen has been carefully freeze-dried and sealed within a 16" X 12" glass-topped exhibit case. Silhouettes of each animal appear alongside the scat sample. Also included in this section are reference materials for identifying scat samples in the field.
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Leaf Replicas - Positives (life-size replicas)
Actual imprints of leaves that have been cast in flexible vinyl for use in art projects or as a tool for plant identification. Press with various colors of stamp pads or roll on different colors of block inks to make leaf prints using a brayer. (Note: we also offer a full range of colorful block inks and brayers - simply type "block ink" or "brayer" in the search area at the top of each page). Leaf replicas are life-size, ranging from 5-9” in length.
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Plastic Animal Models for Educators.
Acorn Naturalists offers high quality, realistic plastic animal models that are perfect for hands-on classroom learning or nature center use. We have located a number of handpainted animal replicas that are both accurate and reasonable. All meet European testing standards (which are stricter than US standards).
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Additional Replicas Available
We work with a number of local artisans who create replicas for museums as well as for the replicas we offer on our website, in our store and in our printed catalog. Through this network, we can provide you with many additional high quality replicas. Please click here for a current listing of over 600 such replicas.
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